Two more bodies have been recouped from the Bay Horse mine shaft which collapsed on Friday last week.
Four more bodies can be seen but could not be easily retrieved as they are under heavy rocks.
Permanent secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland West, Josphat Jaji, confirmed the new developments.
“So far six bodies have been retrieved after two more bodies were recovered in the last two days (Thursday & Friday),” said Jaji.
The search for the other missing miners has been temporarily stopped after the mine underground became shaky.
Husein Phiri, a mine blaster leading the rescue team, told journalists that the underground searching activity has become too risky after they noticed that the base was unstable.
A team composed of Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Marian Chombo, War Veteran Affairs minister Chris Mutsvangwa and local member of parliament Webster Shamu visited the mine.
Addressing journalists and rescue teams at the end of the visit, Mutsvangwa said government is committed to making the gold mining industry environment safe.
“The industry has grown so rapidly without matching the safety standards which are required. This calls for the need to make sure that we improve safety, improve inspectorate of the mines so that the environment of digging gold is safe for our people,” Mutsvangwa said.
Mutsvangwa said the miners who perished at Bay Horse mine are the country’s economic heroes.
“Gold outstrips tobacco as the major foreign currency earner and 66% of gold produced is done by small scale miners some of whom are the victims we are mourning today. They are actually the heroes of our economy.”
About 42 artisanal miners are believed to have been trapped at the mine but twenty-one were rescued and six have been confirmed dead. The rest are unaccounted for.
Source Newsday
